Rotorua people feeling safer

by Kelly Makiha kelly.makiha@dailypost.co.nz
Rotorua residents feel safer in the central city during the day and at home - but they're uneasy about parking their cars in town.

That's according to a latest survey of Rotorua residents about their perceptions of safety in the city.

The telephone survey of 400 people is commissioned by the Rotorua District Council each year and is carried out by APR Consultants.

Although the survey showed people felt more safe in the central business district, parking in the central city - particularly at night - is still a worry.

The survey found 83 per cent of local residents feel Rotorua is "definitely" a safe place to live - up 3.6 per cent on the previous years.

It found slightly more, 91.9 per cent, felt safe during the day compared with 90.7 in 2007 and 81.2 per cent in 2006.

Factors making them feel safer in the central city included presence of other people and police, better lighting and security cameras.

Those who didn't feel safe said it was because of young people and bad reputations of certain areas. They felt unsafe at the City Focus/Post Office area, Kuirau Park, Rotorua Central Mall and shops on Pukuatua, Haupapa and Arawa Sts.

Slightly fewer people felt safe in the central city at night but it was still well up on the figures two years ago.

Those who felt "very safe" or "safe" at night in central Rotorua made up 27.3 per cent of respondents compared with 28.6 per cent in 2007 and 23.5 per cent in 2006.

Unsafe areas at night were the same as those during the day but also included The Streat and the Lakefront.

Nearly a third, 31.3 per cent, of those who park their cars in Rotorua at night "always worry", compared with 25.9 per cent last year. There was also slightly more worry for people who parked their cars in the central city during the day with 16.6 per cent saying they always worried compared with 15.8 per cent last year.

The areas considered unsafe to park cars included:

*Kuirau Park

*The Lakefront

*Government Gardens

* Near the Polynesian Spa

*Rotorua Central Mall

*Rotorua Hospital

*Around the movie theatre and Spotlight

*Near the public car parking building

*Around the Convention Centre

*Streets close to the Lakefront

They said they felt unsafe because of isolated locations, poor street lighting, the high number of break-ins and vehicle theft, frequently targeted locations, personal experience with vehicle crime and the presence of undesirables.

Rotorua District Council safety projects officer Juanita Seymour said there had been an overall improvement in people's perception of safety since the survey began in 2005.

"The increased concern about the safety of vehicles in the CBD is not entirely surprising given the high profile this crime type has in our district.

"However, the reality is that car crime has actually been trending down in the district."

Slightly more people felt safe at home at night as well as during the day.

However, perceptions of safety in people's local neighbourhoods was slightly less than last year.

A total of 16.6 per cent of respondents said they or someone in their house had had items stolen from their cars during the past 12 months - up from 12.9 per cent last year.

Nearly a quarter, or 24.3 per cent, said they had been verbally abused by a stranger - up 3 per cent from last year.



Nearly a third felt more police would make the city safer.